The invention relates generally to seat belt systems. More particularly, it concerns a restraining belt system for securing a detainee in a seat of a vehicle.
Most police officers use some form of seat belt restraint for prisoners. This use serves two principal functions: further immobilization of the handcuffed detainee, and protection for the detainee from impact with the interior of the vehicle in the course of rough or abrupt vehicle movement. Conventional seat belt systems in police vehicles are similar to seat belt systems in passenger vehicles in that the shoulder and/or lap belt originate adjacent the doors of the vehicle, while the buckles are remote from the door. Thus, in attempting to belt in a detainee, an officer must grasp the belt and reach across and in front of the detainee's body, putting the officer in a vulnerable position while the officer attempts to both latch the safety belt and cinch it tight. Because many detainees violently resist every step of the arrest process, they are likely to attempt to bite or head-butt the exposed and otherwise occupied officer. As a result, officers face serious injury in the discharge of their duties. Likewise, if an officer chooses not to secure a particularly violent detainee because of the aforementioned problems, the detainee faces potential serious injury because the handcuffs prevent any self-protection in the event of a sudden stop. As a result of this, the police department faces potential liability.
Various techniques have developed with respect to restraining prisoners. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,672 describes a contoured seat back and cinching belt restraint system for forcing the prisoner into the seat's recessed channels. However, the buckle is remote from the door and requires the vulnerable maneuver previously discussed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,583 teaches a restraining device that uses a VELCRO type hook-and-loop fastener for securing a prisoner to a seat. Again, however, the fastening portion of the loop is remote from the door. Other prior art approaches to latching a seat belt system would not be appropriate for securing a detainee. For example, automatic-closure seat belt systems would be dangerous and impracticable for a physically resistant prisoner. U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,259 describes such a system, where a curved semi-rigid restraining member pivots around a passenger and latches automatically, providing an opportunity for a detainee to block operation of the system by placing the detainee's body in the path of the semi-rigid restraining member.
Like the automatic-closure seat belt systems, a three-point seat belt system also presents difficulties in securing a detainee. U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,295 teaches a three-point seat belt system, where two connecting points of the seat belt are permanently fixed to the rear portion of a vehicle door (relative to the front of the vehicle) and one connecting point is remote from the door and adjacent to the seat, for passive latching when the door is in the closed position. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,329 discloses a three-point system with the same two rearward connecting points on a vehicle door, with the additional feature that the seat belt can be detached from the lower of the two points and reattached to a buckle adjacent to the seat and the door, for tighter securing of a child. However, both references presume a non-resistant passenger. The web-like surface created by a three-point system would be potentially entangling to a resistant detainee being forced into a vehicle by an officer, creating a dangerous situation for the detainee and the officer alike.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks and limitations with existing seat belt systems. More specifically, the present invention has the following objects:
1) to provide a restraint system which allows an officer to secure a detainee in a seat of a vehicle without placing the officer's body in a vulnerable position relative to the detainee; PA1 2) to develop a seat belt system which can secure a detainee in a seat of a vehicle to prevent unrestricted movement or escape by the detainee; PA1 3) the provision of a system for securing a detainee in a seat of a vehicle to protect the detainee from sliding laterally or falling forwardly when the vehicle is cornering or stopping and the detainee's arms are locked in handcuffs behind the detainee's back; PA1 4) to provide a restraint system which safely holds a detainee in a seat of a vehicle in the event of an automobile accident; PA1 5) the development of a system for providing access to the restraining belt system at a position substantially forward and remote from a detainee; and PA1 6) to provide a durable, inexpensive system for securing a detainee in a seat of a vehicle, the system being easily retrofitted to existing police vehicles.